


Winter Wolf

by heytorchhead



Series: The Yoichiro Route [1]
Category: Camp Buddy (Visual Novel)
Genre: Angst and Humor, M/M, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-17
Updated: 2020-08-17
Packaged: 2021-03-06 05:40:40
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 16,109
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25958422
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/heytorchhead/pseuds/heytorchhead
Summary: Yoichi expected he was going to spend another winter alone at Camp Buddy.  Yoichi was wrong.
Relationships: Hiro Akiba/Yoichi Yukimura
Series: The Yoichiro Route [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1938982
Comments: 14
Kudos: 59





	1. The Curious Incident of the Wolf in the Night-Time

**WINTER WOLF**

**Chapter 1**

_**The Curious Incident of the Wolf in the Night-Time** _

“Hey, Torch-head! Fetch!”

Yoichi threw the stick as far as he could. Unfortunately, Torch-head was too busy spinning in circles and barking at his own tail to notice. The stick fell anticlimactically onto the nearby grass.

“Jeez,” Yoichi muttered, walking over and patting the dog affectionately on his head, “you’re just as dumb as your uncle.”

Torch-head wuffed in agreement and began enthusiastically scratching his ear.

Something prodded Yoichi’s leg. He turned to see Mr Perfect waiting patiently with the retrieved stick in his mouth, tail gently wagging. Yoichi chuckled.

“And you’re just as much of a show-off as _your_ uncle,” he said, scratching the dog behind its ears. Mr Perfect whined happily. Yoichi took the stick back from him and flung it harder and farther than before.

“Keichi! Twinkerbell! Go on! Go!”

The other two dogs remained where they were on the grass. Keichi’s head was on his paws, eyes closed as he dog-napped. Twinkerbell was keeping an anxious eye on a passing bumblebee, ready to bolt for it should the beast attack. Yoichi shook his head.

“Hopeless!”

Mr Perfect was whining at his side. He could feel the dog trembling against his body, barely restraining himself from running off after the stick.

“Fine,” Yoichi said, “go get it, boy!”

Mr Perfect took off across the grass with an excited yelp.

Training was _not_ going well. The pups were still fairly young, Yoichi supposed, but he’d hoped they would have taken after their mother in the brains department. Yuki had been an incredibly quick learner, elegantly slipping people’s wallets out of their pockets when she wasn’t much bigger than her pups were now. The memory brought a faint stab in his chest and he hurriedly shoved it to the back of his mind. Damn, but he missed her.

Then again, Yoichi had to admit he’d never listened when anyone tried to give _him_ orders, so how could he expect the pups to be any different?

Mr Perfect came trotting over with the stick balanced evenly in his jaws, eager to be praised for a job well done.

“Heh, pups still not listening to you?” a voice said.

Yoichi turned. Taiga Akatora was standing behind him, a hand up to shield his eyes against the setting sun. He had been pushing the lawnmower back to the utility shed when he stopped to watch the dogs playing.

“All except this suck up,” Yoichi said, patting Mr Perfect’s side. “He’s almost as eager to please as you are these days, Dynamite.”

“Hey, I’ve got a lot to make up for!” Taiga protested. “A few chores here and there is the least I can do.”

“Jeez, I was kidding, relax,” Yoichi said. “We get it. You’re a new man. Just don’t start apologising again, okay?”

“Okay, okay, I promise,” Taiga said, holding his hands up. Then he grinned. “Sorry!”

Yoichi pretended to throw the stick at him. Taiga ducked, then laughed.

“So, uh, you heard from any of the guys since summer?” he asked.

Yoichi looked off into the distance. “Nah.”

“Oh. Me either. I mean, we all swapped contact info, but I’ve been so busy helping here I haven’t really had a chance to catch up with any of them.”

Yoichi threw the stick and said nothing. Mr Perfect went bounding off after it, belatedly pursued by Torch-head.

“Maybe we could all have, like, an AceTime chat or something?” Taiga suggested. “I’ve got a webcam at home. I could bring it in, plug it into the computer in the scoutmaster’s office. Then you could talk to them as well.”

Yoichi said nothing.

“Yoichi,” Taiga said earnestly. “What happened? Everything seemed like it was going so well! We all became friends, we saved the camp, and then everyone just sort of … drifted apart. You haven’t even told any of them about the pups! The pups you _named_ after them! Or about – about Yuki!”

Yoichi shrugged and said nothing.

“Come on, man, what _happened_ between you guys in those final days? It can’t be that bad.”

It had been. Taiga, Eduard and Lee, safe in Cabin Two, had been sheltered from how quickly things had degraded inside Cabin One. Just when everything had seemed like it was going to work out, things had taken a sudden swerve into wrong. First Frogboy and Torch-head – the _real_ Torch-head – had started fighting. Torch-head’s stupid petty jealousy had consumed first their relationship, then even their friendship. Then Twinkerbell had fallen out with his parents over something to do with school, causing them to whisk him away before he’d even had the chance to say a proper goodbye. Finally, even Mr Perfect had cracked, becoming sullen and withdrawn after his brother, Mr Even More Perfect, had been confirmed as the new scoutmaster.

The atmosphere in the cabin in those final days he been unbearable. Yoichi had been forced to leave, seeking out the company of Yuki in the forest, spending days just playing with her. And then, just when he thought things couldn’t have gotten any worse, Yuki – Yuki had –

Mr Perfect brought the stick back. Yoichi threw it again, harder than ever, as an excuse to avoid Taiga’s pleading eyes.

The other boy sighed. “Fine, don’t tell me,” he said. “But I’m gonna get in touch with them soon. They’re still _my_ friends. And I hope – I hope you’ll join me.”

Yoichi remained silent as Taiga walked off.

The dogs came trotting over. This time, Yoichi was surprised to see, Torch-head was the one carrying the stick.

“Did you _let_ him catch it?” he accused.

Mr Perfect looked back innocently.

“Fine, here, let me – hey, let go! Let go, you dumb mutt! I can’t throw the stick if you won’t let _go_!”

He spent several minutes tussling with the dog. At first, Torch-head refused to give up the stick out of sheer stubborness, but as their struggle went on the pup seemed to think it was some sort of a game and began pulling even harder.

Yoichi was sure he heard Mr Perfect sigh.

Finally, he managed to wrest the spit-covered stick from Torch-head’s jaws. The dog barked happily. Yoichi threw the stick again, but Torch-head raced off in the other direction after some birds, having lost interest. Yoichi chuckled to himself.

Hearing footsteps approach, Yoichi turned to see Taiga walking towards him.

“Look, man, just drop it, ok?” Yoichi said, holding his hands up. “I don’t wanna talk about -”

But Taiga was shaking his head. “The boss wants to see you,” he said, jerking a thumb over his shoulder towards the main building. “In his office.”

 _Aw man,_ Yoichi thought, _what did I do now?_

Yoshinori had been talking for about five minutes, judging by the clock on the office wall. Yoichi figured it was probably time to try tuning back into whatever the hell he was saying.

“- which is why, and this is something we try to impress upon all scouts here at Camp Buddy, you cannot ever be too prepared for the challenges life will throw your way! Of course, no matter how hard you prepare, sometimes that will not-”

 _Nope,_ Yoichi thought. _No idea._ _Doesn’t he ever need to stop for breath?!_

“- and my own father told me the same thing when I was your age, which is why – Yoichi, are you listening to me?” Yoshinori demanded.

“Nope,” Yoichi admitted.

“Gnnn. Fine. What I’m trying to say is, I need a favour from you.”

Yoichi frowned. “A favour?”

“Yes. Well, think of it as an opportunity. For us to help each other.”

 _Here it comes,_ Yoichi thought. _He’s gonna ask you to blow him or something._ Ever since the scoutmaster had taken Yoichi in a few years ago, he’d been waiting for the other shoe to drop. People didn’t do things like that just out of the goodness of their hearts, not without expecting something in return.

“Yoichi,” Yoshinori asked, “what are you doing tonight?”

Yoichi jumped to his feet, sending the chair he’d been sitting on scraping back across the floor. “Listen, Brokeback,” he snarled, “I’m not interested, okay? If you think I’m gonna suck your dick just for letting me stay at your shitty camp-”

Yoshinori looked startled. “ _What_? Yoichi, please! Calm down! That’s not at all what I intended!”

“And no anal, either! I don’t do that with just anyone! I don’t care _what’s_ written in the boys’ bathroom!”

Yoshinori was chuckling. “Honestly, Yoichi! You’re misunderstanding me. I would never ask a camper for anything of that kind! I’m talking about a _job_.”

Yoichi took a breath -

“ _Not_ a blowjob,” Yoshinori said through gritted teeth.

Yoichi lowered his fists. “Then what kind of job?” he asked.

Yoshinori indicated that Yoichi should resume sitting. He did so, warily.

“As you know, Camp Buddy has had a resurgence in popularity, thanks in no small part to the actions of you and your fellow campers this past summer,” Yoshinori went on. Off Yoichi’s look, he said, “I’m _getting_ to it. In short, Sir Goro has received enough funding from William Clermont and other investors to consider re-opening some of our sister camps that were recently closed down.”

“So? What’s this got to do with me?”

“Well, due to my success with Camp Buddy, Sir Goro has asked _me_ to inspect the other camps and provide him with suggestions on how they could be better managed!”

Yoshinori paused with a smile on his face, clearly waiting for some form of congratulations. When none seemed to be forthcoming, he went on:

“Unfortunately, as Aiden and Miss Yuri are busy during the off season, this will mean leaving Camp Buddy unattended while I carry out my inspection. As there are no campers staying here at present – except for you, Yoichi – this wouldn’t be too much of a problem, but I would still be more comfortable having someone I could rely on watch over the place while I’m gone.”

Yoshinori beamed expectantly at him. Eventually Yoichi understood.

“You mean _me?!”_ he cried, incredulous.

“Of course!” Yoshinori replied. “Who better?”

“How about _anyone_? What’s wrong with Dynamite?”

“Mr Akatora sadly has some family business that will keep him from being here for the next few days.”

“Mr Perfect?”

Yoshinori frowned. “I’ve been having trouble reaching Mr Hamasaki these past few weeks. He doesn’t seem to be returning my calls.”

“His brother?”

“A photoshoot for _Healthy Men_. Apparently he made the cover. So you see, you are the ideal choice!”

“I’m your _last_ choice!” Yoichi protested.

“But the ideal one!” Yoshi insisted. “For after all, Camp Buddy isn’t just a summer retreat to you. It’s your home! And you wouldn’t want anything to happen to your home, would you?”

Yoichi narrowed his eyes. “Is that a threat?”

Yoshinori sighed. “No, of course not. Look, Yoichi. If you honestly aren’t interested, I’ll try and find someone else. I just thought you might appreciate being given a little responsibility for a few days. Look how far you’ve come this past summer! When I think of the lost, angry little boy who first came here and compare him to the – er, well, _less_ angry young man I see before me, it makes my heart swell with pride.”

Yoichi sat back in his chair and folded his arms across his chest. “So, if this is a job, does that mean I get paid?”  
“Yoichi! We let you stay here for free! Year round!”

“But just think how much more _responsible_ I’d be with a little cash-ola,” Yoichi said, grinning.

Yoshinori knew when he was beaten. “Fine. I’m sure I can come up with something to recompense you for your time. You’ll do it, then?”

Yoichi nodded thoughtfully. “Eh, what’s the worst that could happen?”

That night the pack went on patrol.

It wasn’t quite as cool as Yoichi had pictured it in his imagination. In his head, he’d been creeping through the trees under the cover of darkness, armed with some kind of cool knife that glinted in the moonlight, while his faithful canine comrades followed at his side. He’d pictured himself surprising an intruder, siccing the dogs on him and wrestling the bad guy to the ground. _Local Camp Saved By Sexy Guy’s Badass Dog Army_ , the headline would probably read.

The reality was a little different.

For starters, Keichi and Twinkerbell had refused to come. Keichi, tired from his afternoon nap, had settled down for a nice snooze under Yoichi’s bed. Twinkerbell had run back into the cabin after a bat swooped overhead. Only Torch-head and Mr Perfect had come with him, and now only Mr Perfect remained, Torch-head having gotten distracted a few trees back by some leaf litter.

Earlier, Yoshinori had taken Yoichi around the camp and explained most of his duties to him. As the vast majority of the buildings were closed for the winter, his main task would be to patrol the grounds each night, keeping an eye on things.

“Just call the emergency services if you see anything on fire, okay?” Yoshinori had told him. “And keep an eye out in case anyone tries to break into our offices or something.”

Yoichi couldn’t imagine why anyone would want to do that. Old Brokeback’s office was about as interesting as the man himself. But he’d nodded nonetheless, thinking of the money he’d been promised.

“I should be back in a few days,” Yoshi had said, finally. “I’ll give you a call on the office phone at eight o’clock each night, just to check on things. Here’s my number if you need to reach me before that.”

“Yeah, sure, whatever,” Yoichi had replied, screwing up the note and shoving it into his pocket.

“Yoichi, pay attention!” the scoutmaster had scolded him. “This is important! You will be solely responsible for Camp Buddy for the next couple of days! I don’t want to come back here and find my camp has burned to the ground while you were playing with the dogs!”

“Oh my god, will you relax?” Yoichi had cried. “I can handle it! I’m not an idiot, okay?”

“I didn’t think you were! I just want to make sure you and the camp are safe while I’m gone!”

“I was taking care of myself long before _you_ came along,” Yoichi had snarled. “I think I’ll manage without you for a few days.”

Yoshinori had held his hands up in surrender. “Fine, fine! No more instructions. Just be careful, okay? And don’t go throwing any wild parties while I’m away!”

 _Parties, yeah right,_ Yoichi thought now as he continued his patrol. _Who the hell would I even invite? Everyone I know is gone._

Most winters, Yoichi had been glad when the summer term ended and he finally got the camp to himself again. This year had been different. For the first time, the camp seemed oddly bleak and silent. Every one of his usual haunts was a reminder of some memory he’d shared with his friends, or worse, with Yuki. At least he had the pups for company, and Dynamite usually came around a few times a week, even if he did spend most of that time doing lame chores.

Angry at his own sentimental thoughts, Yoichi kicked a stone across the grass and told himself to get a grip. _They’re gone. They haven’t been in touch since. They don’t give a shit. Stop being such a pussy and get over it._

He made the complete circuit of the grounds, making sure to check everything Brokeback had told him to, more out of spite than diligence. He knew the Sheriff was probably just expecting him to screw up, and Yoichi would enjoy the look on his face when he came back to find out everything was fine. Heading back toward the cabin, he began thinking about how he’d spend his first paycheck.

The dim outline of Cabin One was in sight when suddenly Mr Perfect froze by Yoichi’s side, ears perked up, nose pointing into the shadows. Yoichi continued onward, expecting the obedient dog to follow at his heels, but Mr Perfect remained rooted to the spot.

“What’s the matter?” Yoichi asked. “You smell a squirrell or something?”

Mr Perfect remained fixated on a point in the distance. Yoichi followed his gaze and realised the dog was staring toward the outer fence that surrounded the camp, separating it from the forest and the road beyond.

 _What the hell?_ he thought. _Does he smell someone out there?_

Yoichi took a big whiff of the night air. The only things he could smell were Mr Perfect and his own clothes. Sensitive as Yoichi’s nose was by human standards, he was still completely nose-blind compared to an actual dog. Clearly Mr Perfect was picking up on something that was just too faint for him to detect.

Could it really be an intruder?

 _It’s probably Sheriff Brokeback testing you,_ Yoichi realised. _He snuck back in just to make sure you weren’t slacking off. The whole story was probably just a lie so he could see what you’d do, a ‘test of character’ or some shit._ Brokeback was always pulling those kinds of lame mind tricks to try and sound out your “moral development” or whatever.

Yoichi felt his anger build. He’d actually been sort of looking forward to being in charge of the place for a while, and if the whole thing was just a stunt -

Suddenly, Mr Perfect started barking urgently.

 _Wait,_ Yoichi realised. _The dogs all know Brokeback’s scent by now. He wouldn’t be acting like this if it was someone whose smell he recognised. He senses a stranger._

Yoichi tensed. Was it a burglar? Who the hell would want to break into this place?!

Mr Perfect, sensing his reaction, began barking even more frenziedly.

“What is it, boy?” Yoichi asked. “Who’s there?”

The dog took off like a shot, racing toward the outer fence, barking all the while. Yoichi froze for a second, momentarily stunned to see his most obedient pup suddenly lose all control. Then he began running after him.

“Mr Perfect! Wait! Come back!”

Mr Perfect ignored him and disappeared into the shadows.

“Fuck!”

Yoichi was fit, but he was built for endurance rather than speed. Mr Perfect was long gone by the time he reached the outer fence. The distant sound of his barking told Yoichi the dog was still somewhere within the camp.

There was something hanging from the outer fence.

Yoichi came closer, struggling to make out the dark shape in the moonlight.

It was a pair of pants.

“What the _hell_?” Yoichi muttered.

They were black jeans. They’d gotten caught in the barbed wire at the top of the fence, and were now flapping gently in the breeze, like a flag at half-mast. They’d been unbuttoned and unzipped.

 _Someone must’ve climbed the fence,_ Yoichi realised. He’d closed the main gate once Yoshinori left, leaving that as the only way into the camp. The intruder must’ve gotten caught on the fence wire, been unable to free themselves, and been forced to wriggle out of their jeans to escape, leaving them behind.

 _We have a pantsless intruder in the camp_ , Yoichi realised.

Stepping back, his foot accidentally kicked something in the grass. He looked down and saw it was a pair of abandoned sneakers. Of course. The intruder wouldn’t have been able to get their feet out with their shoes still on, so they’d been forced to take those off as well. Mr Perfect must’ve surprised them before they could put them back on.

 _We have a pantsless_ and _shoeless intruder in the camp_ , Yoichi thought.

Yoichi grinned. If some little punk wanted to try and sneak into _his_ territory, they were going to be taught a lesson. And ‘little’ was clearly the operative word, judging by the size of both the pants and shoes they’d left behind.

 _Squirt’s gonna get what’s coming to him,_ Yoichi thought.

The sound of Mr Perfect’s barking came again, more urgent than before.

_He just better not lay a finger on my dog!_

Yoichi tore off across the grounds again, following the sound of Mr Perfect’s barking into the forest. As he got closer he saw Mr Perfect circling one of the trees, barking up into the branches. When the dog spotted him he barked in greeting and wagged his tail, but continued patrolling the base of the tree trunk.

“What is it, boy?” Yoichi asked. “You found him?”

Mr Perfect barked in agreement.

“This better not just be a squir-”

“Wolfboy?” a voice came from the branches. “Is that you?!”

Yoichi stopped in his tracks.

 _“Torch-head?!”_ he cried.

Hiro’s face peered out from between the leaves. He was shaking, covered in sweat, and clearly terrified. His voice had risen a couple of octaves even higher than ususal.

“Watch out!” Hiro cried. “That dog is crazy!”

Mr Perfect let out an offended wuff.

“He’s not crazy, you idiot!” he snapped. “He’s guarding the camp!”

“He chased me up here!”

“You’re an intruder!”

“I am not!”

“You climbed over the fence in the middle of the night, dumbass!”

“Well, the gate was locked!”

“So?? That means you just break in?!”

“I just wanted to have a look around! I didn’t know there’d be wild animals running about!”

Mr Perfect barked angrily.

“He’s not a wild animal, he’s a good dog! Get ‘im, boy!”

Mr Perfect began barking and jumping up at the branches. Despite the fact he was several feet out of reach, Hiro squealed in fear and cowered back.

“Stop it, Yoichi! Call him off!”

Yoichi burst out laughing, the first genuine laugh he’d had in a long time. “Oh man, Torch-head, you’re such a coward. Scared of a little puppy! He can’t even reach you, idiot!”

Mr Perfect seemed to sense from Yoichi’s laughter that the situation was no longer serious, and began wagging his tail happily.

Yoichi crossed over and petted Mr Perfect. “See? There’s nothing to be scared of, dumbass. You can come down now.”

Hiro watched Mr Perfect warily for a few moments. Mr Perfect lay down on the ground, tongue out, and continued wagging his tail to show how non-threatening he was.

“Well? What are you waiting for?” Yoichi asked. “We won’t bite you.”

“Um, actually,” Hiro said, “I don’t think I can get down from here.”

“What?”

“The branch I used to climb up broke off,” Hiro said. He pointed at the broken branch lying on the ground. “See?”

“So? Just jump down.”

“I can’t jump that far! I’ll break my legs!”

Yoichi sighed. “You’re such a wuss. Fine, I’ll catch you, okay?”

Hiro looked unconvinced. “You’ll drop me!”

“I promise I won’t drop you. Now move it! Come on! Let’s go!”

Yoichi held his arms out. Hiro still seemed hesitant.

“ _Well_?”

“Are you sure I’m not too heavy?” Hiro asked.

“Pssh, seriously? I’ve had farts that weighed more than you. Get a move on!”

“Okay – just, be careful!”

Hiro crept out onto the branch. Yoichi suddenly saw the other boy’s bare legs, slick with sweat and glistening in the moonlight. It must have been that which distracted him, preventing him from realising until the last moment that Hiro had edged out too far along the branch.

“Wait, Hiro, don’t-”

But Hiro had already let go.

Yoichi tried to step back into position, raising his arms to catch the falling boy, but he was a splitsecond too late.

All he saw was Hiro’s ass flying towards his face, and then everything suddenly went black.

“Wolfboy! Wolfboy, speak to me! Oh my god I think I killed him.”

“Ughnnnn....”

“ _Wolfboy!_ You’re alive!”

“My … head ...”

Yoichi sat up – or tried to, at least. The world tilted alarmingly, sending a wave of pain through his skull and a wave of nasuea through his stomach. He lay back down with a groan.

“Don’t try to move!” Hiro cried. “You could have a concussion!”

Yoichi opened his eyes. He could see Hiro bending over him, face terrified, his huge amber eyes glowing with concern. Mr Perfect was on his other side. The pup licked Yoichi’s face.

“I’m fine,” Yoichi growled. “I think. Ugh. I’m just gonna – just gonna lie here for a second.”

“I’m calling an ambulance!”

“Don’t be an idiot,” Yoichi snapped. “I’m fine. Your bony butt isn’t sending me to the emergncy room. Just give me a minute.”

“Do you feel like you have a concussion?”

“I don’t even know what a concession is, so how should I know?!”

“I don’t really know either. Just tell me if you lose consciousness, okay?”

“How am I supposed to – damnit, Torch-head, just stop yapping for a second, okay?”

Hiro tried to control himself. “Okay,” he said anxiously.

Yoichi breathed deeply, lying still on the grass. Slowly the pain receded and the world began to return to normal. He still felt an intense throbbing in his left eye. _Probably have a shiner in the morning,_ he realised.

He tried to sit up again. This time he was successful.

“Can you walk?” Hiro asked.

“Of course. Give me some room! God!”

“Okay, okay!”

Hiro stood up and backed off as Yoichi pushed himself unsteadily to his feet. He wobbled a few seconds, almost going down on one knee again, before regaining his balance.

“Here, let me help you!” Hiro cried. He ducked under Yoichi’s arm, trying to take the older boy’s weight on his shoulders.

“Torch-head, get off! You’re too weak. We’ll _both_ end up on our asses!”

“Just shut up and let me help you! Come on!”

Reluctantly, Yoichi let Hiro take some of his weight. Despite his spindly build, the younger boy was able to take it. Yoichi saw the muscles bulging on his bare legs. _Little guy’s stronger than he looks,_ he realised.

“You need ice,” Hiro said through gritted teeth. “The kitchen. Come on!”

Yoichi found he was still too dazed to argue. He let Hiro lead them both across the campgrounds, stumbling occasionally, Mr Perfect trotting behind them. After what seemed like forever they reached the door. Yoichi slumped against the wall while Hiro tried the handle.

“Oh no!” Hiro cried. “It’s locked!”

Wordlessly, Yoichi fumbled for the ring of keys on his belt and held them out to Hiro.

Hiro momentarily forgot his concern. “They let _you_ have the keys?” he asked.

“Just open the damn door! It’s the little silver one on the end.”

“Right!”

Somehow, Hiro got them inside. As Yoichi slumped down into one of the chairs, Hiro went around turning on the lights and calling out at the top of his voice.

“Sir Yoshi! Miss Yuri! Bro Aiden! Hello? Anyone? We need help!”

“Keep your voice down, Torch-head,” Yoichi snapped. “You’re breaking my skull!”

“Where is everyone?”

“Gone.”

“So … they left you here alone? _You_?”

Yoichi summoned up the strength to glare.

“Fine, fine! Geez! I’ll get you some ice! Hold on!”

Hiro rummaged around in the kitchen for a few moments, banging cupboards and rifling through drawers. It didn’t take him long to find what he needed, having spent so much time there cooking with Aiden during the summer.

He returned to Yoichi.

“Here,” he said, holding out a raw steak.

“What the hell is this? I’m not hungry!”

“It’s for your eye, you moron! It’ll help the swelling! Here!”

“OW! Watch it, Torch-head!”

“Don’t be such a baby.”

Hiro pressed the steak over Yoichi’s eye and held a bulging bag of ice to his forehead. The soothing coolness of the ice seemed to seep into Yoichi’s brain, switching off his pain receptors. He groaned with relief.

“Better?”

“Mnnrrrhh.”

Yoichi lost track of time, absorbed in the feelings of relief his battered skull was experiencing. When the pain and dizziness faded enough for his wits to return, he realised Hiro was still standing beside him, carefully pressing the ice to his head.

“Gimme that. I can hold it myself.”

“Fine! Sheesh.”

Hiro released the bag and went to sit in the other chair, pouting slightly. He still looked concerned, but some of his old attitude was starting to come back to him.

“So how come you’re here by yourself?” he asked eventually.

“Why wouldn’t I be? I don’t need a babysitter.”

“Isn’t it kind of – scary being all alone here?”

“Pssh. Of course not. I’m not scared of anything!”

“Well … isn’t it lonely, though?”

“No,” Yoichi lied. “I don’t need anyone. Besides, I have the dogs for company.”

“Dogs? There’s more than one?”

As if on cue, Mr Perfect trotted into the kitchen through the door they’d left open. He went over to Hiro, and after giving his hands an experimental sniff, deemed him good enough for a lick. Hiro giggled and petted the pup back, seemingly over his former fear.

“Aw, this guy’s kinda cute when he’s not chasing me! What’s his name?”

_Crap!_

“Uh – it’s, uh -”

Yoichi’s brain was too scrambled from the concession to come up with an alternative name on the fly.

“It’s Mr Perfect,” he mumbled.

Hiro’s head swung around, several reactions warring for supremacy on his face at once. Confusion, amusement and a slightly offended expression were the main contenders.

“You named him after Natsumi?!” Hiro cried.

“No! Well, sort of. He’s such a try-hard, it just seemed right.”

Mr Perfect barked. Hiro laughed, delighted.

“So what are the others called? Did you name any of ‘em after me?” Hiro asked.

_Crap!!_

“Never mind what the dogs are called,” Yoichi growled, changing the subject. “More importantly, why the hell were you sneaking in here in the middle of the night? Sheriff Brokeback left me in charge, y’know! I could have you arrested!”

Hiro continued playing with Mr Perfect, trying to avoid answering. Yoichi let the silence drag on.

“I just – wanted to see what it was like,” Hiro said quietly. “Now everyone was gone. We had so many happy memories here this summer. It was like a dream. I just wanted to wander around when no one else was here and try to remember what it had been like. Before – before – before we left. I didn’t think anyone else would be around. I forgot _you_ lived here.”

“Sure. You ‘forgot’.”

Hiro glared at him. “You think I was sneaking in to see _you_? Ha! Dream on, Wolfboy.”

They sat in silence for a few minutes longer, neither of them wanting to pursue this line of conversation any further. Eventually, Yoichi prised the steak away from his eye and set the ice down on the table.

“Stupid ice is starting to melt. Here.” He threw the bag into Hiro’s lap.

“Hey! Th-that’s cold!” he cried, jumping up as the ice landed against his bare skin. He picked up the bag and dumped it into the sink. Hiro looked down at his legs. “Um. Do you have any spare pants I could borrow? Mine are kinda stuck to the fence.”

“Fine,” Yoichi said. “I guess there should be some spares in the cabin. Come on.”

Yoichi tossed the steak to Mr Perfect. The dog began tearing at it eagerly. Yoichi stood up and led them out of the kitchen.

They walked to Cabin One in silence. When Yoichi stepped inside he found Keichi and Twinkerbell waiting for him. Twinkerbell cowered away from Hiro, fearful of meeting new people, but Hiro remained standing in the doorway, looking around with a sense of awe.

“Wow. Here it is,” he said. “Our old cabin.”

“It’s only been a few months, Torch-head.”

“I know. It’s just – weird, being back.”

While Yoichi searched through his drawers for some spare clothes, Hiro finally stepped into the cabin. The younger boy spied the dogs and eagerly approached them.

“Aw! Cute! Who are these guys?”

Yoichi had no choice but to bite the bullet. “The sleeping one is Keichi. The nervous one is Twinkerbell. Give him a minute to get used to you, he’s really calm with people he knows.”

Hiro giggled. “You named one after Hunter as well? I can’t argue with your logic, Wolfboy. It does kinda act like him. So shy!” He bent over, slowly stretching out his hand to the smallest pup. Twinkerbell sniffed his fingers cautiously, then seemed to decide he was okay. The pup crept forward and allowed himself to be petted.

“Aw! He likes me!”

The sound of Hiro’s voice woke Keichi up. The other dog yawned, stretched, and came over to investigate the new arrival.

“And this little guy is – Keichi, did you say? Where did you – _oh._ ” The penny dropped.

Yoichi continued pretending to search through his clothes, despite having already found a spare pair of pants, just to avoid Hiro’s eyes.

“Keitaro and Yoichi. Huh. So, wait. Did you name a pup after everyone _except_ me?”

Hiro’s voice sounded hurt.

Yoichi guessed he couldn’t avoid it any longer. He stuck his fingers into his mouth and produced a loud, piercing whistle. After a few seconds there was a scampering sound and the final pup appeared in the doorway, barking excitedly.

“Torch-head, meet Torch-head,” Yoichi said. “Satisfied?”

“Awww! You _did_ name one of them after me!” Hiro cried. Torch-head ran up to his namesake, barking excitedly, and the pair danced in a circle around each other.

“Well, he’s a loud, annoying airhead,” Yoichi said. “So it fit.”

Hiro ignored him, having too much fun playing with the pups. Yoichi watched with a fond smile on his face as Hiro lay down on the ground and was covered by the pups instantly. Hiro giggled as the dogs barked and licked his face.

“These guys are awesome! Where did they come from? I thought you said you only had one dog!”

Yoichi’s smile faded a little. “Yeah. I did. She had pups.”

Hiro sat up, grinning as the pups continued to jump all over him. “That’s so cool! Where is she? Can I meet her?”

Yoichi looked away.

Eventually, Hiro got it. “Oh.”

Yoichi said nothing.

“That sucks. I’m sorry, Yoichi.”

Yoichi turned back and held out the spare pants he’d found. “Here. Put these on. I’m sick of looking at your scrawny chicken legs,” he said gruffly.

Hiro stood up, spilling pups onto the floor. He took the pants with a muttered ‘thanks’ and started to put them on. They were far too large, but with a belt and by turning up the cuffs he just about managed to fit into them.

“It’s getting pretty late,” he said once he’d finished. “I guess I should head home now.”

“Mnnh.”

“Um. Yoichi?”

“What?”

“Could you help me find my shoes? And also unlock the gate for me? I don’t really want to try climbing back over the fence.”

“Fine. Come on.”

They tracked down Hiro’s shoes in silence. Torch-head had tried to bury one of them in a nearby hole, but they’d manage to wrestle it back off him. Neither boy spoke until they’d made their way back to the main gate, which Yoichi unlocked and held open for Hiro to leave.

“Uh, it was good to see you again,” Hiro said uncertainly, pausing in front of the gate. “Sorry about your eye, Wolfboy.”  
Yoichi dismissed his apology with a half-hearted wave.

Hiro held on a moment. He seemed about to say something else, then thought better of it and slipped through the gate.

He was a few steps down the road when Yoichi called out to him.

“Torch-head!”

Hiro turned back. “Yeah?”

“It was good to see you, too.”

Yoichi closed the gate on Hiro’s smile.


	2. Attack of the Space Vampires

**WINTER WOLF**

**Chapter 2**

_**Attack of the Space Vampires** _

“Sheriff! Thank God you called!”

“Yoichi? Is that you? What’s happening? Is everything okay? You sound frantic!”

“It’s the camp! It’s gone!”

“Gone?? What do you mean, _gone_!”

“Well, first it was the fire! But I managed to put that out! Then the tornado started!!”

“...”

“And the meteor wasn’t my fault! It wiped Camp Buddy off the map! It’s gone, Sheriff! We’ll have to rename it Camp Crater!”

“Yoichi ...”

“And now there’s zombies! Help! They got me! Aaaaack!”

A long-suffering sigh came down the telephone. Yoichi burst into laughter.

“I take it things are fine, then,” Yoshinori said.

“Of course they are!” Yoichi crowed. “What did you expect? I’m awesome!”

Yoshinori chuckled despite himself. “Well, I’m glad to hear that. The inspection of our facilities at the other sites is also going quite well. In fact, it shouldn’t be-”

“Oop, gotta go! Alien invasion’s started! Later, Sheriff!”

“Yoich-”

Yoichi hung up the phone.

He leaned back in Brokeback’s chair and put his feet up on the desk, arms folded behind his head. He could get used to being the guy in charge. His first full day as ruler of Camp Buddy had gone flawlessly. He’d patrolled the grounds, played with the dogs, and gone through Brokeback’s desk to see if he was hiding anything interesting. He hadn’t been. Of course, there was always the crazy lady’s office, but he wasn’t going anywhere _near_ the stuff she probably kept in there. He shuddered at the thought.

Sure, it was a little boring. It’d be nice if there was someone he could boss around besides the dogs. But Hiro’s visit the night before had livened things up somewhat. He’d forgotten how much he enjoyed fighting with Torch-head. It had been just like old times.

Still, he didn’t expect to see him again. Torch-head had clearly only snuck in to mope around the places where he’d already been moping around after Frogboy during the summer. Yoichi didn’t get it. Sure, Keitaro was cute and sort of fun to hang around with, when he wasn’t being a total cheeseball, but he wasn’t _that_ cute. He wasn’t worth being miserable for the rest of your life.

_Torch-head’s probably at home right now, writing ‘Mrs Hiro Frogboy’ over and over in his journal and crying into a tub of ice-cream,_ Yoichi thought. _What a loser._

Which is why he was surprised when the buzzer sounded to indicate someone was at the main gate.

Yoichi jumped up in momentary panic. Had Brokeback arranged some kind of delivery for today and neglected to tell him about it? That was just the kind of boring crap Yoichi didn’t want to deal with, and yet if he screwed it up he’d never hear the end of it. He ran over to the intercom on the office wall, trying to remember how Brokeback had told him it worked.

“Uh. Yeah?” he said into the intercom, pressing the button. “What do you want?”

“Great way to answer the door, Wolfboy,” Hiro’s voice came through the speaker. “Did they teach you those communication skills in puppy class?”

Yoichi was briefly caught off guard. “Torch-head? What’re you doing here?”

“Let me in and you’ll see!”

There was a security camera covering the front gate, Yoichi knew, but he had no idea how he was supposed to activate it. He decided it would be simpler to answer the door in person.

It took him a couple of minutes to make it to the main gate. When he opened it, Hiro was tapping his foot impatiently on the ground. He opened his mouth to say something, but abruptly changed gears when he got a look at Yoichi’s face.

“Oh man! Your eye!”

Yoichi’s hand instinctively reached up to touch it, but stopped himself at the last moment. He shrugged indifferently. “What about it?”

“It’s black! Does it hurt?”

“Nah.”

Hiro continued to stare wonderingly at it. “Dude, with a black eye you look even more dangerous than normal!”

Yoichi wasn’t sure if that was meant to be a compliment or not, yet weirdly it felt like one.

“What’re you _doing_ here?” he asked.

“Oh! Well, I felt kinda bad for last night. Breaking in. Hurting your eye. Scaring you.”

“I _wasn’t_ scared.”

“So I thought I’d apologise and try to make it up to you. Ta da!”

With a flourish, Hiro indicated a pile of sacks at his feet.

Yoichi stared at them, then back at Hiro. “What?” he asked, bluntly.

“I brought food!” Hiro cried, opening one of the sacks. Bags of goodies spilled out – potato chips, chocolate bars, tubs of ice cream. “And not just junk, either. Look!” He opened another bag, showing vegetables and cuts of meat. “I’m gonna make you dinner! You must be hungry for a home-cooked meal while Bro Aiden and the others are away, right?”

Yoichi’s stomach growled loudly. He had to admit, he’d been mostly existing on ramen and cereal since Brokeback’s departure. The thought of some fresh meat made his senses come alive.

Hiro snickered, hearing Yoichi’s stomach. “Help me carry this stuff in! I brought loads!”

And without waiting for an invitation, Hiro was brushing past him carrying sacks of food. Yoichi found he had no choice but to pick up the other sacks and follow.

He was so bewildered by what was happening that he failed to realise he’d left the gate wide open behind him …

Hiro wasted no time getting to work in the kitchen. He ordered Yoichi about, organising the food he’d brought into the proper cupboards and starting to chop vegetables. Yoichi stood back and watched, afraid to get in the way of his energetic routine.

“You’re not gonna cook butt-naked, are you?” he asked.

Hiro laughed. “No, not after last time. A bit of oil jumped out of the frying pan and scalded my left butt cheek. I don’t know how Bro Aiden does it.”

Yoichi snorted. “He probably likes that kinda thing.”

Hiro giggled. “Maybe. Pass me that pot, would you? The big one.”

Yoichi watched Hiro work, oddly fascinated. Anywhere else in the world, Hiro acted like kind of a doofus, tripping over his mouth as often as his feet. But in the kitchen he was truly at home. He was soon shifting his attention from pot to pot, humming under his breath happily as he added a dash of salt here or a stir there. For Yoichi, whose cooking skills extended no farther than the microwave, it was a fascinating sight to behold.

“What are you even making?” he asked. He sniffed. “Smells nice.”

“Coupla things,” Hiro said. “Don’t worry, I know what you like. No fancy stuff. And plenty of meat, right?”

He actually winked.

“Uh, right,” Yoichi said. _What the hell was that wink supposed to mean?_

“Go set the table,” Hiro said.

“What are you talking about? The tables are already set up. Look.” He indicated the rows of mess hall tables on the other side of the kitchen counters. “They don’t put ‘em away when term ends or anything.”

“That’s not what I – never mind,” Hiro sighed. “You really are a wild boy, huh? I’ll do it myself. You just watch this pot and yell if it starts to boil over, okay?”

Yoichi wasn’t sure he liked this. The kitchen was Hiro’s domain, and he was a lot more confident and assertive there. It made Yoichi feel like a big dumb animal that had somehow gotten trapped inside of someone’s house.

While watching the pot, he also watched Hiro set the table.

First, the orange-haired boy whipped out some kind of big white cloth from one of his many bags and draped it over the table. He spent a few seconds fussing with that, getting it just right. Next came knives, forks and spoons – far more than would be needed for just the two of them, Yoichi thought. They looked a lot shinier and nicer than the ones in the camp kitchen, as well. Lastly he set out a couple of fancy glasses, the kind with the long stems on the bottom, and put a small glass vase with a rose in it in the middle of the table.

“What the hell, Torch-head?” Yoichi cried. “This ain’t the Ritz! And it’s not a date, either!”

“Shush, Wolfboy,” Hiro replied with a dismissive wave. He stood back to admire his work. “Perfect! Now how’s dinner coming?”

Yoichi stared into the pot. “Uh. It’s still brown. Is that right?”

“Move over.”

Hiro took back control of the kitchen, shooing Yoichi aside. The older boy found himself standing somewhat awkwardly against the wall, not sure how to behave.

“Check the small bag on the left-hand side,” Hiro called over. “I brought some treats for the dogs. Didn’t forget them!”

Yoichi rummaged until he found a few bags of dog treats. They were the expensive kind, the ones Sheriff Brokeback rarely allowed Yoichi to buy. He took them out into the yard and threw them to the puppies, who descended on them eagerly.

When he came back into the mess hall, Hiro was pouring a bottle of something yellow into the glasses on the table.

“Is that _wine_?” Yoichi asked.

“Nah, lemon Fanta,” Hiro replied. “I know it’s your favourite!”

Nothing in his relationship with Hiro up to this point had prepared Yoichi for how to deal with the current situation. “Uh. Thanks?” he ventured.

Hiro beamed. “Glad you like it. Now take a seat. Dinner is served!”

It was one of the strangest meals of Yoichi’s life.

It was also one of the best.

Normally, he simply grabbed whatever was going and took off. When the weather was nice, he and Yuki usually went into the forest, Yoichi sharing some of his food with her. In the winter he usually stayed in the mess hall, sometimes with Sheriff Brokeback for unwelcome company, pestering him with questions and receiving only sullen, one-word answers in return. When the summer term was in session, Yoichi had still preferred to eat alone most days, except for the most recent year when he’d befriended Hiro’s group. Since they’d left, the only company he’d had at mealtimes were the pups.

The food was amazing, but he’d expected as much. The hardest thing about eating Hiro’s food was keeping him from realising just how much you were enjoying it. True to his word, Hiro had made a wide variety of dishes, most of them meat-based, though he’d snuck in the occasional vegetable as well. Yoichi had no idea what any of them were called and had no interest in learning, but shoving them into his mouth as fast as he could was a pretty enjoyable experience.

Hiro could eat just as much and just as fast as Yoichi, but had a tendency to talk a lot while doing it. Even food didn’t shut him up for long. Oddly, though, this time Yoichi found the background noise sort of pleasant. Hiro didn’t ask a lot of personal questions. He didn’t try to get Yoichi to open up and talk about his stupid feelings. He just chattered away cheerfully about whatever came into his head, requiring only the occasional grunt of acknowledgement to keep going.

It was sort of nice.

Eventually, Yoichi’s brain got the message that his stomach couldn’t hold any more. He ended the meal in his usual fashion, by belching loudly and standing up from the table.

“Well, I’m stuffed,” he said. “Thanks for the food, Torch-head. Seeya later.”

Hiro, who had been in the middle of a sentence, stared at Yoichi in disbelief. “Wait! That’s it? You’re leaving, just like that?” he cried.

Yoichi paused halfway to the door. “Yeah. I’m done eating.”

“That’s so rude!” Hiro pouted. “I spent ages cooking this for you, and you just walk out while I’m in the middle of trying to have a conversation! You’re impossible, Wolfboy.”

“I thought you made all this to apologise to me?” Yoichi demanded.

“I did!”

“Well, apology accepted! Bye!”

Yoichi headed for the door again.

“Wait!” Hiro cried.

There was something to shrill, so desperate in his voice that Yoichi found himself pausing in mid-step. Reluctantly, he turned around again.

“What, Torch-head?”

“Th-there’s desert!” Hiro said, holding up a tub of ice cream. “See?”

“Pssh. I don’t eat dessert. Too fattening.”

“Oh, come on! Everyone likes ice cream! Even you, Wolfboy!”

“Pass.”

“And I have movies!”

_That_ got his attention. “Movies?” Yoichi asked suspiciously.

“Uh huh!” Hiro got up from the table and ran over to the bags. He rummaged in them for a while before producing a stack of five or so DVD cases. “I thought we could watch them afterwards!”

“What kind of movies?”

“Come see!”

Yoichi came over and took the DVD cases from Hiro. The orange-haired boy was watching him hopefully.

“ _Attack of the Space Vampires_?” Yoichi said, reading one of the titles. “Sounds lame.”

“Nuh uh! It’s really cool!” Hiro insisted. “It’s about these vampires, okay? Only they’re from _space_!”

“Yeah. I got that much.”

“B-but there’s loads of cool action sequences in it! And the special effects are really cool! And the main character is totally hot!”

Yoichi studied the hunk on the DVD cover. “He’s not bad,” he admitted.

“There’s this one really cool part, right, where the head of the space vampires, Lord Suckula, is trying to turn the hero into one of them,” Hiro explained enthusiastically. “So he, like, rips open the guy’s shirt and starts sucking the blood right out of his chest, and then he makes the other guy suck his -”

“Hey! Don’t tell me the whole story! You’ll ruin it!”

“Oh, so you wanna watch it now, do you?” Hiro said, grinning.

“Well, I got nothing better to do. Let’s put it on.”

“Wait for me to finish eating first!”

“Torch-head, if I wait for _you_ to finish eating I’ll _never_ see this movie.”

“Gah. Fine. I guess I can have some ice cream while we watch it. You sure you don’t want any?”

Yoichi was still studying the DVD cover. The guy had some decent muscles, that he had to admit.

“What flavour?” he asked.

_Attack of the Space Vampires_ was surprisingly good. The sequel, _Revenge of the Space Vampires_ , had suffered from massive cuts to the special effects budget, and the less said about it the better. Yoichi fell asleep halfway through _The Space Vampires vs the Werewolves from Mars_ and woke up to find the DVD menu screen playing on a loop.

For a moment he didn’t know where he was, having awakened from an oddly exciting dream in which Hiro had fangs and kept trying to bite him. Then he remembered: he was in Camp Buddy’s rarely-used media room. Trying to get their charges away from such things, the scoutmasters normally kept the camp’s widescreen TV under lock and key, busting it out only when prolonged periods of bad weather kept the campers indoors and restless. Yoichi was able to sneak in sometimes to watch movies by himself during the winter, though the camp’s collection of DVDs was pretty meagre. Even _Brokeback Mountain_ had been thrown out when Yoshinori finally realised where Yoichi had gotten his nickname from.

Feeling a weight against him, Yoichi looked down to see Hiro, fast asleep, nestled in the crook of his arm.

They’d started out sitting on the floor. When that got uncomfortable, they’d dragged in a spare couch and sat side by side on it, right up close to the screen. They’d stayed that way for hours, Yoichi now recalled, Hiro staring goggle-eyed at the CGI carnage onscreen and shovelling spoonful after spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.

_When did he snuggle up to me?!_

Yoichi was frozen with indecision. Part of him wanted to jump up immediately and storm out before Torch-head woke up and got an funny ideas.

Another part of him was more fascinated by the way Hiro’s hand had fallen between Yoichi’s legs and was just sort of – resting there, against his crotch. By the way the light from the TV screen played across his sleeping face. He looked so peaceful, asleep. And of course, he wasn’t talking, which was a bonus. His lips were half open, smeared a little with ice-cream, and he was snoring softly. They looked so soft. So inviting. Yoichi wanted to bend down and lick the ice-cream off them -

_Gah! What’s happening to me? This is Torch-head we’re talking about!_

Something started to buzz in Hiro’s pants.

For a moment, Yoichi was confused. Did he have one of the crazy lady’s ‘toys’ down there? Then he realised it was probably Torch-head’s cell phone, set to vibrate. Yoichi didn’t have one himself, but knew bascially everyone else in the world was glued to theirs, non-stop.

The buzzing continued. Someone really wanted to get in touch with Hiro.

And Yoichi found he didn’t care.

_I want to stay like this,_ he realised. _This is … nice._

The phone finally stopped buzzing. Yoichi momentarily relaxed, only for it to start up again. This time, Hiro was awakened by the noise and the vibration, his big orange eyes slowly fluttering open. He looked up at Yoichi for a second, his gaze unfocused.

“K-Keitaro?” he whispered, half-asleep.

Yoichi stood up abruptly, causing Hiro to slump sideways into the couch cushions with a yelp. He righted himself and glared sleepily at Yoichi.

“Wuh-what’s going on?” he asked.

“You were in my personal space, that’s what!” Yoichi snapped. “I don’t need you getting ice cream all over me, Torch-head! God!”

Hiro shook his head, trying to clear it. “What’s that _noise_?” he asked.

“It’s your phone,” Yoichi said. “Answer it, dumbass! The sound is driving me crazy.”

Still bleary-eyed, Hiro pulled his phone from his pocket and frowned at the screen. “I don’t recognise the number,” he said. Something suddenly seemed to click for him and he was instantly more awake. “I need to get this. It might be important.” Holding the phone to his ear, he rushed out of the room.

Yoichi stared sullenly around at the wreckage of the evening. The TV had finally gone into power saving mode, shutting off the screen. Empty packets of junk food, chocolate bar wrappers and ice cream tubs, were strewn about the floor. He couldn’t believe he’d let Torch-head sweet talk him into eating so much crap. He was going to have to take the dogs for an extra long walk tomorrow just to burn it off -

_Crap! The dogs!_

Yoichi checked the clock. It was long after midnight. He’d totally forgotten to walk the dogs this evening, thanks to Torch-head and his stupid distractions. Thankfully he’d remembered to feed them, at least, and they could do their business in the camp grounds, but he liked to get out with them a couple of times a day just to bond. They were probably missing him already, whining outside the door.

He was just heading out to see them when he bumped into Hiro, coming the opposite way.

“False alarm,” Hiro was saying, a relieved expression on his face. “It was just Hunter, asking if we’d heard from Natsumi lately. Poor guy sounded kinda worried about him. I thought it might be a call about my mom-”

Hiro stopped, realising Yoichi was about to leave.

“You’re leaving? Again?” he asked plaintively.

“God, Torch-head!” Yoichi cried, exasperated. “ _Yes_! I’m leaving! I have other stuff to do, okay? Thanks for the food and the movies, but I’m done! Stop being so damn needy all the time, will ya?”

Hiro looked at the ground. For once, Torch-head didn’t seem to be putting up a fight. “Okay. Sorry.”

Yoichi felt a twinge of guilt, but it was overridden by his need to get to the dogs. He brushed past Hiro and ran towards the door, expecting to hear the pups whining and scratching for him.

He didn’t hear anything.

Puzzled, Yoichi threw the door open and stared out into the yard.

The camp was dark and completely silent.

“Hey! Guys!” Yoichi called out into the night. “Keichi! Twinkerbell! Mr Perfect! Torch-head!”

“What?”

Yoichi jumped as Hiro appeared at his side.

“Not _you_ , dumbass,” he snapped. “I meant my dog!”

“Well, you _could_ start calling me by my name, then,” Hiro replied.

“Shut up! I’m trying to find the pups!”

“Oh no! Are they missing?”

Yoichi refused to consider the possibility. The image of Yuki floated up in his mind and he shoved it down violently. He put his fingers into his mouth and whislted once, twice, three times.

No response.

“GUYS!” Hiro called out, his voice even louder than Yoichi’s. “COME HERE, GUYS!” He held up a bag in one hand and shook it. “NUMMY TREATS!”

Yoichi frantically scanned the campgrounds, searching for any signs of the pups. The door to the cabins was closed, so they couldn’t have gone in there. If they’d been in the main building with him and Hiro then they would’ve heard him calling by now.

Then he spotted the main gate.

It was open. Wide open.

Yoichi’s heart fell into the pit of his stomach.

“Oh _no_ ,” Hiro whispered.

“Yoichi, wait! I’m coming with you! Let me help!”

“GET AWAY FROM ME!” Yoichi screamed over his shoulder. “THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! IF YOU HADN’T DISTRACTED ME, I WOULD’VE REMEMBERED TO CLOSE THE FUCKING GATE!”

“I know, I’m sorry! Let me help you find them! Please!”

Yoichi ignored him and continued to run along the entrance road to Camp Buddy. He was trying to see, but his eyes kept blurring. He was trying to find their scent, but tears kept running into his nose. He was trying to listen out for their cries, but Hiro kept yapping apologies in his ear.

_They can’t have gone far,_ he told himself. _They’re still just babies. You only saw them this evening._

_Which was hours ago,_ another part of his mind responded. _Three of those dumb movies ago. While you were busy screwing around with Hiro, you let down Yuki’s pups. Just like you let her down._

“Yoichi, look! There’s one!”

For a heart-stopping second, Yoichi thought the pup was dead. Then he got close enough to recognise Keichi, curled up beside a lamp-post and snoozing peacefully.

Yoichi laughed with joy and relief, sweeping the pup into his arms. Keichi squirmed and yipped, angry at being awoken. Yoichi hugged him tight.

“The others can’t have gone far,” Hiro insisted. “They wouldn’t leave each other alone, right? They’re brothers!”

“Torch-head’s an idiot,” Yoichi said, wiping his eyes. “He could be anywhere. And Mr Perfect’s probably right there with him, trying to drag him home by his tail.”

“So we’ll find them both together,” Hiro reassured him. “And Twinkerbell’s probably still hiding somewhere back at the camp, right? You said he’d be too nervous to stray far.”

Yoichi nodded. “Yeah,” he said, his voice unsteady. “I hope so. Come on, we need to keep looking.”

“You go on ahead,” Hiro said. “I’ll look after Keichi.”

Yoichi passed him the pup and sprinted off down the road.

_Please be okay, please be okay,_ he thought desperately. _I can’t lose any of you guys. Not you too. Please be okay._

He heard barking in the distance.

Yoichi ran faster.

Rounding the corner, he saw the source of the barking. His heart leapt up as he realised it was a dog, but sank when he saw it wasn’t any of the pups. A large, black-haired, angry beast was snapping and snarling at something just off the side of the road.

Yoichi slowed his pace, wary in case the strange dog should attack him. Instead, it remained focused on whatever was occuppying its attention.

Then Yoichi saw Mr Perfect.

The pup was facing down the bigger dog, despite it being more than twice his size. Every hair on Mr Perfect’s body was standing on end as he snapped and snarled at the best before him. Yoichi could just make out Torch-head, cowering behind Mr Perfect, tail tucked in between his legs.

Blind instinct took over.

Yoichi moved without conscious thought. He raced along the space between him and the dog, a scream of primal fury bursting from his chest. All three dogs turned toward the sound, shocked out of their own confrontation. As Yoichi closed the distance, throwing himself between Mr Perfect and his enemy, the bigger dog bared its teeth again in a snarl. The big dog lunged forward, drool flying from its jaws.

“ _FFFFUUUUUCK YOUUUUU!”_ Yoichi screamed.

He swung his fist. It connected with the dog’s jaw. There was a crunch and the dog spun sideways in the air, performing a barrell roll before landing in a heap on the ground. Dazed, it got to its feet. It stared at Yoichi in fear for a few moments, trembling, before taking off into the trees, whining with its tail between its legs.

“That’s what you get when you mess with my family!” Yoichi yelled after it.

Yoichi turned to check on the pups. They both ran into his arms and jumped up, licking his face and yipping happily. Neither seemed to be injured. Yoichi hugged them close, tears of relief running down his face.

“Dude. You just punched a rottweiler,” Hiro said, awed.

“Well, he had it coming,” Yoichi said, standing up. “C’mon. Let’s get these guys back to camp and find Twinkerbell.”

They walked most of the way back in silence. While Hiro carried Keichi, who was fast asleep again, Yoichi held tightly onto Torch-head, who kept trying to wriggle out of his grasp. Mr Perfect was trusted to walk beside them.

“I really am sorry, Yoichi,” Hiro said, breaking the silence. “I didn’t mean to -”

“Save it,” Yoichi said. “It wasn’t your fault. I was just angry. I should’ve remembered to close the damn gate. I mean, it is what Sheriff Brokeback’s paying me for.”

“He’s _paying_ you? To be like, what? A security guard?”

“Kinda. I guess. Surprised?”

“I suppose not,” Hiro mused. “You live there anyway. And you’re kinda scary. People wouldn’t want to mess with you.”

“Pssh. I’m not that scary.”

“ _Dude_ , you _punched_ a _rottwieler.”_

“Only a little one.”

“Still!”

Now that all of the pups were pretty much accounted for – except for Twinkerbell, who Yoichi was 99% sure would be still in the camp – Yoichi found himself feeling somewhat guilty for his reaction earlier. It hadn’t been a very cool way to repay Hiro for the effort he’d put into what had been a pretty good evening. Sure, the guy was kinda clingy and annoying sometimes, but he hadn’t deserved to be brushed off like that. Yoichi found himself wanting to make him feel better and not being sure how to do it.

“Uh, what was that you said earlier?” he asked.

“Huh?”

“When you got that phone call. Somehing about your mom, right?”

“Oh. Yeah.” Hiro seemed subdued again.

_Damnit, this is why you don’t do the touchy feely crap,_ Yoichi told himself. _You suck at it._

“She … uh … she ok?” he forced himself to ask.

_Do you really want to have a conversation about mothers?_ he thought. _You, of all people?_

“She’s been sick,” Hiro said quietly.

Yoichi thought he wasn’t going to say anything else. He was wracking his brain for a way to redirect the conversation when Hiro surprised him by continuing.

“Really sick,” Hiro went on. “For a long time.”

“Oh. Man. That sucks,” Yoichi said. “I’m sorry.”

“Thanks. She’s actually been doing better, lately. Ever since we moved to the capital, her treatments-”

“Wait! You _moved_?” Yoichi asked, incredulous.

“Yeah. After camp. She needed to get treatments in the capital, so we had to move there for a while.”

Yoichi was stunned. How could Hiro, who talked constantly about everything that came into his head, have never mentioned something so significant?

“The treatments have been working really well,” Hiro continued. “The doctors say she might be able to move back home soon. That’s why I’m here. I came back to open up our old house and get things ready for when she can come home again.”

“Oh. I – I didn’t know.”

Hiro shrugged.

Suddenly a lot of things were clicking into place for Yoichi. The reason Hiro had been so clingy around Keitaro. The reason he had been so insistent on spending every waking moment with his best friend, wringing every last second out of their friendship before summer ended. _He knew they were running out of time,_ he realised. _And he rushed it, and he blew it._

“Does Frogboy -” he started to ask.

Hiro shook his head. “I wanted us to have one last, perfect summer together without it hanging over our heads,” he said. “But I guess I pushed too hard. You know how things ended up. I haven’t spoken to him since.”

“You should let him know,” Yoichi said. “Frogboy has a lot of faults, but he’s a good listener. I’m sure he’d want to know why you were acting so – uh -”

“Crazy?” Hiro said, chuckling. “I tried to tell him last night. I went over to his house but he wasn’t home. His sister told me he was on a trip with some friends from school. Some really good friends, she said.”

“Oh.”

“I left his house and just started walking. Got on a bus. And that’s how I ended up at Camp Buddy again.”

The camp itself was now coming into view. They both picked up the pace, wanting to make sure Twinkerbell was all right.

As if anticipating their concern, Mr Perfect ran on ahead. He raced around the camp grounds, barking urgently. Hiro and Yoichi caught up with him in time to see Twinkerbell emerge from his hiding spot beneath one of the cabins and trot over. Yoichi visibly sagged with relief when he caught sight of him.

“They’re all okay!” Hiro cried. “Thank goodness!”

“Man, what a relief,” Yoichi sighed. “I thought I was going to have a heart attack.”

The boys let the pups back into Cabin One and closed the door firmly behind them. They breathed out the last of their stress and couldn’t help grinning at each other.

“I guess it’s getting pretty late,” Hiro said. “I should probably get going.”

“You don’t have to,” Yoichi said, looking at the ground. “Not if you don’t want to.”

“Huh?”

“You could stay.” Yoichi raised his violet eyes to meet Hiro’s amber ones. “The night. If you wanted to. We got plenty of beds. Yours. Keitaro’s.” He paused significantly. “Mine.”

Yoichi didn’t know what spurred him to say it. He only knew he was feeling an intense mix of emotions – relief at finding the dogs, regret for losing them in the first place, an odd mix of affection and gratitude toward Hiro and also some shame for how he’d treated him in the past. All of these feelings and more were surging through his brain and he could think of only one way to relieve them.

Hiro opened his mouth to speak and was interrupted by the sound of shattering glass.

Both boys’ heads turned sharply in the direction of the sound.

“What was _that_?” Hiro said.

“Now what?!” Yoichi groaned.

They ran towards the scoutmaster’s offices.

The outside door was wide open. A broken beer bottle was lying shattered on the ground.

“I guess that’s what the noise was,” Hiro said. “I was worried it might have been a window.”

Yoichi sniffed. “I can smell more inside.”

They heard another bottle smash.

“Come on. And stay behind me.”

Hiro gulped. “Okay.”

They crept along the corridor as silently as possible. Their stealth seemed a bit unneccessary, as every few moments their footsteps were drowned out by the sound of another smashing beer bottle.

“Yoichi, look! The walls!”

Hiro pointed. Graffiti had been spraypainted along the main corridor leading to the scoutmasters’ offices. Yoichi squinted to read it.

In squiggly, sprawling purple letters, the vandal had sprayed:

_I AM A BAD SCOUTMASTER!_

“Huh,” Hiro said. “Doesn’t that graffiti seem kinda ...”

“Lame?” Yoichi asked.

“Well, I was gonna say ‘polite’, but yeah. Most people just draw dicks and stuff, don’t they? Or tags.”

Hiro’s phone vibrated in his pocket again.

“Turn that off!”

“I can’t! It might be my mom!” Hiro pulled his phone out and checked the number. “Argh, it’s just Hunter again!” He rejected the call, only for the phone to immediately start buzzing again. “What’s _with_ him? Can’t he take a hint?!”

“Just answer it already and tell him you’ll call him back!” Yoichi hissed.

“Okay, okay!” Hiro pressed the ‘receive’ button and held the phone close to his ear. “Hunter, I can’t talk right now! We’re in the middle of someth – what kind of emergency?”

Hiro listened for several seconds. His eyes widened in alarm.

“What is it?!” Yoichi hissed as Hiro ended the call.

“It’s Natsumi,” Hiro whispered. “Hunter’s really worried about him. He says they’ve been AceTiming a lot ever since Hunter’s parents took him out of camp, but this past week Natsumi’s been really depressed. Ever since his brother got made scoutmaster here, Hunter says he’s been getting more and more angry about it. He’s worried Natsumi might do something – bad.”

In perfect unison, Hiro and Yoichi’s eyes turned back to the bizarrely phrased piece of graffiti scrawled on the corridor wall.

“Ah _shit_ ,” Yoichi said.

There came the sound of another breaking bottle – this time, from Scoutmaster Yoshi’s office.

The boys ran along the corridor. They threw open the door to Yoshi’s office and gasped at what they found there.

The office was in utter disarray. Broken bottles were scattered all over the floor. Graffiti had been scrawled all over the walls, including such phrases as _Earn your disillusionment badge today!_ and _Buddy Law Number Five: Kiss My Ass!_ Spraypaint had even been used to draw glasses and mustaches on some of the staff portraits hanging on the walls.

Standing in the middle of the chaos, swigging from a bottle of beer in one hand and brandishing an empty can of spray paint in the other, was Natsumi Hamasaki. He was wearing jeans and a leather jacket that was clearly several sizes too small for him. Beneath the leather jacket he was bare-chested.

“Hi, guys!” he cried cheerfully as he noticed Hiro and Yoichi standing in the doorway. His voice was slurred and his eyes seemed to be having trouble focusing. “Nice to see you again! Welcome to Camp Shitty!”


	3. Bad Boys Stick Together

**WINTER WOLF**

**Chapter 3**

_**Bad Boys Stick Together** _

Hiro and Yoichi stood frozen in place, unable to comprehend what they were seeing.

“Natsumi?!” Hiro finally blurted. “What – how – why –”

“What the hell are you doing?!” Yoichi yelled.

“Just having a few beers!” Natsumi slurred cheerfully. “Do you want one? They taste disgusting but they make you feel really good!” He offered them a bottle.

“I mean _this_!” Yoichi yelled, gesturing around the room. “You trashed Brokeback’s office!”

“Oh! Right! Well, I do that kind of thing, you see,” Natsumi said. “I’m a bad boy, now!”

“You’re – _what_?” Hiro asked, incredulous.

“A bad boy! A rebel! I even have this cool leather jacket, see?” Natsumi turned, dropping the beer bottle he’d been holding. It didn’t smash, but spilled its contents onto the carpet.

“What the hell are you talking about?” Yoichi cried. “Have you gone crazy?!”

“Crazy like a fox!” Natsumi replied. He tried to tap his forehead knowingly, but missed, poking himself in the eye instead. “Ow! Or like a _wolf_ I should say, right? Yoichi knows what I’m talking about!”

“Oh my god, Brokeback’s going to lose it when he sees this place,” Yoichi said to himself. “I’m dead meat.”

“Ah, don’t be such a worrier!” Natsumi said. “You sound like the _old_ Natsumi! That guy was a total dork!” Natsumi paused, suddenly noticing Yoichi’s face. “Hey! You’ve got a black eye now! That is so cool! Maybe I should get one. Quick, Yoichi! Punch me in the face!”

“Don’t tempt me, buddy!”

“Natsumi, why would you do something like this?” Hiro cried. “Is this about – your brother?”

Natsumi scowled. “No! It’s got nothing to do with him! Go suck a butt, Torch-face!” He then tried to flip Hiro off using the wrong finger.

Hiro blinked.

Natsumi began wandering throughout the office, inspecting the beer bottles to try and find one he hadn’t already drunk or smashed.

“We gotta do something,” Hiro whispered to Yoichi. “We need to sober him up before he does any more damage.”

“How the hell are we supposed to do that?!”

“Bro Aiden taught me this drink he makes,” Hiro replied. “He calls it Wake Up Juice. He used to make it on mornings when he had a lot of chores to do, if he and Sir Yoshi had had a late one the night before. It might bring Natsumi to his senses. You keep him busy, I’ll go make the drink, okay?”

“Wait! Torch-head, don’t leave me with this nutcase! How am I supposed to keep him busy?!”

“Just keep him talking!” Hiro cried, running out the door. “I’ll be back as quick as I can!”

Hiro scampered off, leaving Yoichi alone with Natsumi, who had finally found the crate of beers he’d brought.

“Ah! There they are! Want one, Dogboy?” Natsumi asked.

“Uh, I think you’ve had enough,” Yoichi said.

“Bah! Don’t be such a loser! We’re both bad boys now, remember?”

“Why do you keep saying that?” Yoichi asked, frowning.

“Because it’s true! All these years I spent, modelling myself on Naoto! Following him around like a little puppy, trying to be as good as him! And never succeeding! For _what_? In a few weeks he comes in here and achieves everything I’ve been working toward! For _years_!” Natsumi took another swig of beer. “That’s when I realised I’d been modelling myself on the wrong person! I should have been learning from _you!”_

“ _Me_? What the hell are you talking about?” Yoichi demanded.

“I used to think you were just a dumb animal,” Natsumi explained. “But you’re a genius! You’ve got it all figured out, Yoichi.”

Yoichi checked the clock. How much longer would Hiro be gone? _Well, if he’s talking to you at least he’s not wrecking anything else._

“Is that so?” Yoichi asked.

“Of course! Don’t act like you don’t know! You know how to treat people! Treat ‘em mean, keep ‘em keen, right?”

“What? I’m not like that!”

“Don’t worry, your secret’s safe with me! Us bad boys stick together!” Natsumi drained half of his beer in one go. “See, that’s where I went wrong. I kept trying to be so _nice_. To do everything right, all the time. And when you do that, after a while, people stop appreciating it and start _expecting_ it. They just take it for granted. ‘Here’s a big pile of crap that needs to be swept up! Who can we get to do that? I know! Let’s get Natsumi to do it!’”

“I thought you _liked_ cleaning,” Yoichi said.

“I did! Ha! What a loser I was. Because once they start expecting it, you see, they start to get disappointed if you don’t maintain the same standards, all the time! One slip, and suddenly you’re letting people down! And it’s not good enough to just do the right things, either! You have to be doing them for the right _reasons_ , too! Do you know how many times I washed Scoutmaster Yoshi’s car for him? Do you know how many mornings I came in before school just to tidy up the grounds? Do you know how many campers I talked out of pressing charges against Miss Yuri? _Do you?!”_ Natsumi demanded.

“Uh. No?”

“Of course you don’t! No one does! Because it doesn’t matter! Because, you see, I was doing those things for _the wrong reasons!_ I did them because I wanted people to like me! To respect me! And that’s _wronnggg!_ It doesn’t matter that I actually _did_ all of those things! It doesn’t matter how hard I worked, or what the results were! It only matters that I was being _selfish_ , expecting people to _thank me for it!”_

Natsumi gesticulated wildly, losing his grip on the beer bottle and sending it flying across the room. It smashed on the wall behind Yoichi’s head.

“Hey! Watch it!”

“But you’re not like that, Yoichi! You’re _smarter_! You say what you want, do what you want, all the time! You’re rude and lazy and mean, and people don’t expect anything better from you! So when you make the slightest bit of effort, try the _tiniest_ bit to be nicer to someone, everyone’s suddenly falling all over themselves to say how proud of you they are! You’re a _genius_! And now I’m going to be like you, too!”

Yoichi watched Natsumi begin searching for another beer bottle in silence for several moments.

“I’m not like that,” he said quietly.

“Huh?” Natsumi said, distracted. “Where _are_ you, beers? I know I left you here somewhere!”

“I said I’m not like that!” Yoichi shouted. “You don’t know anything about me! You don’t know about my life! What, you don’t get something you want for the first time in your perfect life, and you completely snap? And you think that makes you like _me_? Get over yourself, Mr Perfect!”

“STOP CALLING ME THAT!” Natsumi screamed. He picked up a bottle and threw it at Yoichi’s head, deliberately this time. Fortunately, that caused it to go wide of the mark, smashing against the opposite wall.

They stood facing each other across the room, breathing heavily. Yoichi used every ounce of his strength to stop himself from leaping over Yoshi’s desk and taking a swing at Natsumi. _He’s drunk,_ he told himself. _He’s drunk and a little bit out of his mind. Control yourself._

“Guys? Is everything okay?”

They turned to see Hiro standing in the doorway, looking frightened. He was carrying a mug in one hand and his phone in the other.

“Yeah, we’re fine,” Yoichi muttered. “You got the drink?”

“Yeah, a special drink, just for you, Natsumi!” Hiro said loudly with forced cheer. “Here you go!”

“Ooo! A drink for me? Don’t mind if I do!” Natsumi’s former good humour seemed to have returned, the drama of seconds ago forgotten in an instant.

Hiro passed Natsumi the steaming cup. “Take a biiig drink, okay? And maybe sit down over here? And look! Someone’s on the phone for you! It’s Hunter!” Hiro held out his cell phone to Natsumi. “He’s calling you on AceTime to see how you are!”

“Um, Natsumi?” Hunter’s worried face looked out from Hiro’s phone screen. “Are you okay?”

“Twinkleballs! Aww, it’s so nice to talk to you! Are you using one of those filters to make your eyes all big and adorable?”

“Um, no, Natsumi. Those are just my eyes.”

“Aww! So cute! How are you? I’m a bad boy now!”

“That’s nice...”

Hiro eased Natsumi down into the chair behind Yoshi’s desk and left him there talking to Hunter.

“Phew!” Hiro said, relieved. “That drink should start to work pretty quickly, provided he drinks it all. Hopefully Hunter can keep him distracted until then. Once he sobers up, maybe we can start to fix some of this damage.”

“Yeah,” Yoichi muttered, looking at the ground. “Sure.”

“Yoichi? Are you okay? Things seemed kind of – intense, there, for a second. What did Natsumi say to you?”

“Nothing. Never mind.”

“Okay. Well, I was looking around and there isn’t _too_ much damage. We should be able to fix everything, so long as nothing else-”

“Um, guys?” Natsumi called.

“What is it, Natsumi?” Hiro asked.

“I don’t think my drink is working,” Natsumi said. He suddenly looked very green.

“Oh no!”

“ _Bleaaaaaaauurughhhhhhh!!!!”_

“Aw, man! Right over the desk, too!”

Yoichi finally crawled into bed at four thirty in the morning.

He and Hiro had spent most of the night trying to undo the damage from Natsumi’s rampage. Natsumi himself hadn’t been much help. He’d spent an hour or so crying and throwing up in a trash can, gradually sobering up enough to start apologising, only to get interrupted by dry heaves. They’d eventually sent him to bed in Cabin One, making sure to check on him every few minutes. He was sound asleep and snoring loudly.

Hunter had done what he could, searching the internet for the best way to remove spraypaint stains. After an hour of scrubbing the place was looking pretty clean, as long as you didn’t stand too close to any of the walls. The stench of spilled beer and vomit still filled the office, so they left the doors and windows open, hoping it would fade away by the time Yoshinori returned. It would have to do.

They’d swept up the rest of the beer bottles and thrown them in the trash. If Yoichi’s own experiences with alcohol hadn’t already been negative enough, Natsumi’s exhibition would turn him off the stuff for a long time to come.

Yoichi lay on his back, staring up at the ceiling. His body was exhausted but his mind couldn’t shut down. He kept replaying Natsumi’s words over and over again.

_You’re rude, lazy and mean._

_People don’t expect anything better from you._

_You make the tiniest bit of effort, and people are suddenly falling all over themselves to say how proud of you they are._

Was that really how everyone saw him?

Yoichi had always considered himself pretty thick-skinned. He enjoyed bickering with people, especially Hiro, and prided himself on never letting words get to him. Yet Natsumi’s ham-fisted, back-handed attempt at a compliment had blown past his defenses in a way no deliberate insult had ever managed to do.

Unable to sleep, Yoichi got out of bed, trying not to disturb the pups who were cuddled up beside him. He crept outside and went to sit on the cabin steps.

_You’re worthless_ , a voice from the past echoed in his mind.

_You ruined my life._

_You’re just like your father._

“Yoichi?”

Hiro was standing in the doorway, rubbing his eyes and yawning.

“Yeah? What?”

“Can’t you sleep?”

Yoichi shook his head. Hiro sat down beside him on the steps.

“Brrr,” the orange-haired boy said. “It’s cold out here.”

“So go back to bed then.”

“Nah. It’s ok.”

They sat in silence for a few moments, staring out into the pre-dawn darkness.

“Yoichi?”

“Mmm?”

“You’re not worried about Scoutmaster Yoshi coming back, are you? Cos we cleaned the office up really well. Once the smell fades away I don’t think he’ll notice anything out of place.”

“No. I’m not worried about Brokeback.”

“So … what’s wrong, then?”

“It’s nothing.”

“Did Natsumi say something to you while I was out of the room?”

“Drop it, Torch-head.”

Hiro chuckled. “Don’t you mean ‘Go suck a butt, Torch-face’?”

Yoichi snickered at the memory. “Even when he tries to be bad, he’s so lame.”

“Aw. I kinda feel bad for him, though. He tries so hard. Sometimes I think Scoutmaster Yoshi doesn’t appreciate how much he does around here.”

“I guess.”

They sat in companionable silence for a while longer. Finally, Yoichi spoke.

“Hiro?”

“Hmm?”

“Do you … do you think I’m a jerk?”

“Ummm...”

“Be honest.”

“Well. You can be. Sometimes. But not all of the time.”

Yoichi nodded slightly. “Thanks for being honest.”

“But I also think you’re pretty cool.”

“You do?”

“Yeah.” A pause. “Do you think _I’m_ cool?” Hiro asked hopefully.

Yoichi snickered. “You’re almost as lame as Mr Not So Perfect in there,” he said.

“Oh.”

“But you’re kinda cute, too.”

Hiro blushed. “Aw. Really?”

“Yeah. Cute. But lame. And annoying. And loud. _And_ a pretty good cook.”

Hiro punched him playfully on the arm. “ _Pretty_ good? Screw you, Wolfboy! I’m the best!”

Yoichi chuckled. “Okay. Fine. You’re the best.”

“Darn right I am!”

Yoichi turned to face Hiro. Hiro smiled tentatively back at him.

“I’m really glad you came back here,” Yoichi said, his voice low.

“Me too,” Hiro whispered.

They leaned closer. Yoichi tilted his head one way, Hiro another. Their lips were inches from touching, when –

“Um, guys?”

“Oh, for _fuck’s SAKE!”_ Yoichi snarled.

“Ew, Wolfboy, you got spit in my eye!”

Natsumi was standing in the doorway. He still looked very pale, but was a lot less green than he had been earlier. They’d manage to find a spare uniform for him to wear after he’d puked all over his ‘bad boy’ outfit.

“Oh! Sorry for interrupting!” he said anxiously. “I just woke up and wondered where everyone was!”

“That’s okay, Natsumi,” Hiro said. “Why don’t you come sit with us for a while? Are you feeling any better?”

Yoichi muttered a series of curses under his breath.

“A little better, Hiro, thanks,” Natsumi said, joining them on the steps. He took a deep breath after he sat down. “I must apologise to you both for my behaviour last night. It was inexcusable. I am so embarrassed.”

“Aw, that’s okay, dude,” Hiro said. “You were pretty out of it.”

He kicked Yoichi in the shins, prompting him to say something. Yoichi ignored it.

“I can’t remember much of what happened,” Natsumi said, “but the parts I do remember fill me with shame. I’m only glad Scoutmaster Yoshinori wasn’t here to see me acting like that. Though I suppose he will still be gravely disappointed when he sees what I did to his office. I expect he’ll want me to hand in my sash and leave the camp for good.” He looked utterly miserable at the prospect.

“Nah, you don’t have to worry about that,” Hiro said. “Wolfboy and I got it all cleaned up. It looks good as new! Well, it doesn’t _smell_ good as new, but hopefully that’ll be gone by the time the scoutmaster gets back.”

“You – you did?” Natsumi asked, dumbfounded. “Both of you?”

“Yep!”

“I – I cannot thank you enough, Hiro. And you too, Yoichi.”

“Psh. Don’t thank me. I only helped cos I would get in trouble too. Brokeback left me in charge, after all.”

Natsumi frowned. “He _did_?”

Yoichi glared at him. “Yeah, he _did_. You got a problem with that?”

“No. No! Of course not! I’m just surprised, is all. And grateful! To both of you!”

Yoichi stood up. “I’m going back to bed,” he said, heading inside.

Hiro and Natsumi watched him go.

“I can’t believe _I_ almost got in trouble, and _Yoichi_ was the one who bailed me out,” Natsumi said.

“Yeah, Wolfboy’s full of surprises, all right,” Hiro agreed.

Hiro and Natsumi sat talking on the steps for about half an hour after Yoichi left.

“You really should talk to your brother, dude,” Hiro said. “He needs to know what you’re going through.”

“I know,” Natsumi said, looking at his hands. “It’s just such a hard topic to broach. How do you tell someone that you love them, but you need them to give you some space?”

Hiro shrugged. “Beats me. I’m usually the one being asked to leave.”

“So, how would you want me to say it? If you were Naoto.”

Hiro took a deep breath. “I’ve got no idea, man. There’s no nice way to hear something like that. But if he loves you as much as you love him, he’ll understand. He’ll be hurt at first, but he’ll get it. You’ve put a lot of effort into Camp Buddy. It’s totally unfair for him to think he can just swoop in at the last minute and take all the glory for himself.”

Natsumi sighed. “I don’t think he’ll see it that way.”

“And isn’t he, like, thirty? Why’s he trying to impress a bunch of teenagers, anyway? Get a life, dude!”

Natsumi chuckled. “I don’t think I’ll put it quite like that, Hiro. But thank you for listening to me. And for cleaning up my mess.”

“Don’t mention it! You cleaned up after us all summer. I figure you owe us a whole _camp_ ’s worth of puke before we’re even!”

Natsumi laughed but made a face. “Eww. Thank you for that revolting image.”

Hiro grinned. “No problem.”

“Can I ask you something else?”

“Sure! What’s on your mind?”

Natsumi hesitated, then took the plunge. “You and Yoichi, are you – an item? I got the feeling I was intruding on something earlier.”

Hiro’s smile faltered. “Nah. We’re not an item. But I think we’re finally friends. And maybe, down the line ...” He trailed off. “I try not to think ahead as much these days. Things never really work out for me when I do.”

“Oh. I see.”

“What about you and Hunter? You guys seem to have gotten really close since he left camp. He practically drained my cell phone battery calling when he was worried about you.”

Natsumi blushed crimson, his cheeks in stark contrast to his otherwise pale skin. “He’s a good listener,” Natsumi said awkwardly. “And very kind.”

“And adorable!”

“Haha, yes, that too,” Natsumi admitted. “I enjoy our talks a lot. But he lives so far away, and we’re not sure if his parents will ever let him return here.” He sounded sad.

“That sucks.”

“It _does_ suck.” Natsumi groaned and rubbed his temples. “My head is killing me,” he said.

Hiro laughed. “I think that’s called a hangover, dude.”

“Ugh. I’m going to get some painkillers. And then I’m going to sleep for a month. Can I get you anything from the kitchen?”

“Nah, I’m good. Later.”

Natsumi got up and walked off towards the main building. As Hiro watched him go, he realised the sun was starting to creep over the horizon.

A new day was dawning.

A yawn worked its way out of his body and Hiro realised how tired he still was. He stood up, stretched, and made his way back into Cabin One. He shuffled towards his bed, expecting to fall into it, only to find it was occuppied.

Yoichi was sprawled out across the covers, snoring like a buzzsaw. He had one of Hiro’s pillows clutched tight to his chest. Every so often he would sniff it in his sleep, murmuring. Hiro listened close and was pretty sure he caught his own name.

Hiro glanced over at Yoichi’s own bed and saw the pups had taken it over.

There were several other beds in the room. He could take any one of them.

But then, Yoichi could have, too.

“You’re lucky I’m pretty small, Wolfboy,” Hiro muttered.

He climbed into bed beside Yoichi, shoving him aside a little bit to make room. Yoichi snorted in his sleep and rolled over, throwing his arm across Hiro’s shoulders. Hiro felt the older boy breathe in the scent of his hair, and this time was _sure_ he heard him murmur “Hiro”.

Hiro closed his eyes, and slept.

The rest of the day passed pretty uneventfully.

Yoichi woke around midday to find Hiro had already fed and walked the pups and was now playing with them in the camp grounds. To Yoichi’s surprise, the doggy treats Hiro had brought seemed to work as an incentive for the pups to learn, and they were soon actually listening to his commands, even Torch-head. Hiro made lunch, the smell of which finally roused Natsumi from his bed. Natsumi was feeling much better after his sleep, and managed seconds of Hiro’s food, raving about it all the while.

Natsumi left them after lunch, promising to be in touch soon. He wasn’t long gone when they got a phone call from Hunter, thanking them both for saving Natsumi’s reputation. It was the longest conversation either of them had had with the quiet boy to date. Hunter too finished by promising to stay in touch, suggesting he might have some good news soon on whether he’d be able to return to Camp Buddy.

They spent the rest of the afternoon watching some of the other movies Hiro had brought. Yoichi had to admit, the one about time-travelling plant monsters from the future was actually pretty good. He’d never seen anyone get decapitated with a leaf before.

Hiro made dinner, and this time Yoichi helped. He managed not to burn anything and only cut himself a few times while chopping vegetables. Even more amazing, the food still tasted pretty great, despite his influence. Hiro ended up teaching him a few simple meals he could cook for himself while alone at the camp.

“Why can’t you just come cook for me?” Yoichi asked, frowning.

“Cos I gotta go back to the capital in a few days’ time,” Hiro said sadly. “Remember? I should be back before the summer, but it all depends on my mom. She’s not out of the woods yet.”

“Oh. Right. Sorry.”

“Besides, you need to learn how to take care of yourself, Wolfboy!”

“Hey! I can survive in the wild just fine by myself! I don’t need your help!”

“Pssh! Please! You couldn’t even survive in this _kitchen_ without a can opener!”

Yoichi tackled him. They fell to the ground, laughing and struggling, mock-fighting, Yoichi doing his best to pin Hiro down and Hiro doing his best to wriggle out of the stronger boy’s grip.

And then suddenly they were kissing.

Hiro pulled Yoichi’s shirt up over his head, exposing his muscular chest. Yoichi pulled Hiro’s pants down. Hiro wriggled out of his own shirt. His fingers found the bulge in Yoichi’s pants and worked to free it.

“Hey, Wolfboy,” he breathed. “Be careful with that thing, okay? Don’t hurt me.”

Yoichi only growled back, and pounced.

Hiro’s cries and squeals of ecstacy echoed around the empty camp. Outside the door, the pups pricked up their ears. One by one, they raised their noses to the sky and howled, joining their voices with his own.

When it was over – the _third_ time it was over – Hiro and Yoichi lay on the cold wood of the kitchen floor, exhausted, breathing hard, covered in sweat and more besides. Yoichi drew his muscular arms around Hiro and pulled him close, holding the smaller boy’s back into his chest.

“Oh, _man_ ,” Hiro gasped. “Look at this place. We made such a mess. We gotta clean this up before Scoutmaster Yoshi gets here and sees it.”

“Nah,” Yoichi said, kissing Hiro’s bare shoulder. “Let’s just blame Natsumi.”

Hiro burst out laughing.

“Yoichi! How are things? Any alien invasions to contend with today?”

“Nope. Everything’s fine.”

“Excellent! I knew I could rely on you. I should be back early tomorrow morning, okay? My inspection here went swimmingly. We should be able to open up at least one more of our sister locations again soon.”

“Yeah, yeah. Whatever.”

“By the way, I just wanted to emphasise: I’m so proud of you for taking on this responsibility.”

“...”

“Yoichi? Did you hear me?”

“... Yeah.”

“I know it was a lot to ask, but you’ve handled things really well. No one could have believed it if I’d told them so in advance!”

“...”

“So, I know we agreed on cash payment before hand, and of course I’ll give you the amount we agree on, but I think you’ve earned an extra reward. Name it. Anything you want! You deserve it for exceeding my wildest expectations!”

“... Anything?”

“Yes!”

“Anything at all?”

“Well, within reason, of course!”

“Okay. I know what I want from you.”

“And what’s that?”

“When you get back, have a talk with Natsumi. And tell him you’re sorry.”

Yoichi spent the final night of his rule alone. Hiro had some things to arrange back at his mom’s house, so he’d said goodbye and caught the bus home. He’d promised to return before he had to leave for the capital, and to visit on weekends after that.

“Maybe I could come see you,” Yoichi said. “I’ve never been to the capital before.”

“Oh, you’ll love it!” Hiro cried, excited. “There’s so much amazing food to try there! And they have a video games arcade! And an amusement park! We’d have so much fun!”

“Okay,” Yoichi said, smiling. “It’s a date.”

Hiro was taken aback. “It is?”

“Sure. I can get Natsumi to watch the pups for a weekend. I mean, he owes us, right?”

Hiro chuckled. “You can’t hold that over him forever, Wolfboy.”

“Just until it stops being funny.”

“Heh. Okay.”

Hiro had turned to walk away, stopped, rushed back, jumped up and gave Yoichi a peck on the cheek. Then he’d run off, blushing furiously.

Yoichi had watched him go, his cheek still tingling from the touch of Hiro’s lips.

Now he sat in Sheriff Brokeback’s chair, feet up on the desk (which had finally stopped smelling of vomit), Keichi snoozing in his lap and a wine glass filled with lemon Fanta in his hand. The other pups were sniffing around the office curiously. Yoichi sipped from his drink and mused on the events of the past few days.

He might not have much, he realised. But he had Camp Buddy. He had his pups. He had Brokeback, annoying as he might be sometimes. It even seemed like he had Natsumi.

And he had Hiro.

He had a family.

He drank to that.

**The End**


End file.
